Industry Update: November 24th

I apologize in advance for the short length of this article – oh, who are we kidding, this blog post – but truth be told, the video game industry is all wrapped up in Fall Release Time. This time every year, we are pummeled and suffocated by AAA release after AAA release. Every fall, we have to contemplate buying the open-world games, the generic first-person shooters, the generic third-person shooters, and the occasional racing game. Our bodies, minds, and wallets will be aching for weeks on end.

As such, here’s what I have for you. Take what you will from it.

From Capcom

Here’s something I had to squeeze from the Internet to find: Resident Evil Revelations may be coming to PS3 and Xbox 360, if the Korean Ratings Board is to be believed. I’ll post the link below, but basically the page in question describes the classification of an Xbox 360 version of the game (there’s also a page for the PS3 version, as described on NeoGAF, but I was unable to locate it):

The reason I doubt this description is because of what it actually says. While I have no knowledge of the Korean language, and I’m betting the online translator was somewhat misleading, the page seems to state either that the game won’t be sold in Korea because of its “mature” content or that it won’t be available to adolescents. Whatever the case, take this with a grain of salt.

From Eurocom

Eurocom’s not traditionally a company I pay much heed to, mainly because they’ve always produced such a consistent quality of products over the years and are stable enough to not warrant media attention. With that said, it was surprising when I found something concerning them recently.

Apparently, the U.K. developer is to be facing redundancies (read: mass termination of employees). Only 50 of Eurocom’s 150 staff will have still keep their jobs, and the company is said to be “focusing mainly on mobile opportunities moving forward.” This news comes to us just weeks after the release of 007 Legends, which has sold just over 100’000 units worldwide but has been widely panned by critics.

I’m not going to comment further on the situation – expect at least an editorial, with the possibility of a review – besides saying that this truly feels like unwarranted punishment. Sadly, though, it is a company with a reputation to uphold and a host of liabilities to deal with.

From Square Enix

Note: The following goes from this past Thursday to next Monday, November 26th. Keep that in mind.

Come one, come all, to Square Enix’s Online Store Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale. For a limited time only (read the above statement), those few loyal fans and many ambivalent gamers can purchase already-released games from the company’s online store for up to 50% off. This offer does not, as the announcement makes clear, apply to other items, like memorabilia or pre-orders.

This does seem convenient, given that Square has a bundle of recent and upcoming releases that would get plenty of attention during this sale – things like Hitman: Absolution, Motley Blocks for iOS and Android, and a pack of Sleeping Dogs Holiday DLC. However, since there are some genuinely good games in the mix of this questionable business decision, complaining’s kind of futile.

From Gamer Codex

After setting down some new internal structure (no, I’m not detailing what that means), Gamer Codex’s writing staff will soon be boosted in size. Basically, that means more reviews and articles from more people – a major victory for variety in the workplace. I can’t say what these new articles will involve, though, so expect to be as surprised as I will be.

As for existing members, I hear a certain opinionated journalist might have new content on the way. Meanwhile, I am simultaneously tackling one survival horror series that terrifies me more than any before it and tackling one of my personal favourite franchises – with the end result being reviews and retrospectives!

Hurray for [Series Name Redacted] and [Series Name Redacted]! And god bless [Previously Mentioned Developer Redacted] and [Other Developer Redacted]!

Once again, this is the Codex Admin signing off. Keep reading, gamers.